Author: mbloem

On a very good day for KZN schools’ rugby – which included victories for Michaelhouse over Affies and Maritzburg College over Jeppe – St Charles College added to the province’s list of successes with a 24-17 win over Hoërskool Kempton Park at the Saints Easter Rugby Festival in Johannesburg.

Kempies had defeated Hoërskool Pietersburg in an impressive display on Thursday, but the Pietermaritzburg boys were up for the challenge.

Indeed, within two minutes of the start, Saints‘ blindside flank Joshua Barkhuizen received the ball on the right side of the Kempton Park 22-metre area, where he cut inside, and beat three defenders to dot down behind the posts and open the scoring.

Coach Craig Dwyer‘s boys worked their way into a 17-7 lead at the break, but Kempies came out firing in the second half. They kept fighting until the final whistle and were rewarded with a try from left wing Aubrey Hoskin after the hooter had blown for full-time.

He was the first to react when one of his peers lost the ball in contact. Then, with the cover defence barrelling towards him, Hoskins sliced back against the grain and provided his side with a late try to boost their score.

Clifton College started strongly against St John’s College (Harare), just as they had done against the Mzwandile Mali XV on Thursday, and it took them only five minutes to put points on the board.

Fullback Izah Roux, more often seen backstopping Clifton’s 1st water polo team, was the first receiver to reach a breakdown just centimetres short of the opposition’s try-line. Upon gaining possession, he danced his way past two defenders and flew in under the posts for five.

That was a good start for coach Jose Dos Santos‘s crew. However, the Rams had also conceded first against the festival hosts on day one before going on to a 24-21 win.

Trailing 5-13 at the halftime break, matters soon worsened for the Zimbabweans, who fell 5-18 behind only three minutes into the second stanza.

Their captain and hooker, Sean Takaindisa, led the fightback, making the dive for five after effectively exploiting the blindside inside the Clifton 22. When the Rams upped the tempo, Clifton was stretched, and they struggled to match the pace that the Zimbabweans imposed on the contest.

It pulled them through to a hard-fought 22-18 win over a game side. The win spoke volumes about the Rams’ character, too, with Takaindisa and company coming from behind to win for the second successive match.

After a loss to Windhoek High on Thursday, the Hartpury College II XV  took on the Mzwandile Mali XV. A high-scoring thriller delivered 88 points and 14 tries, with the English tourists claiming a 55-33 victory.

Left-wing Callum Lettie had the crowd roaring when he turned an interception in his own 22 into an 80-metre run and a try under the uprights, which left the composite side from the Eastern Cape in a 0-19 hole after 20 minutes. They kept working hard, nonetheless.

Five minutes later, a short ball from flyhalf Sibabalwe Gwinsta to eighthman Bongolethu Mxoli broke their duck. Mxoli, running a hard line, burst through a gap, then stepped a covering defender on the outside to finish in the corner.

He added another later in the contest to take his tally at the Saints Festival to a sparkling three tries in two matches, which also underlined the talent to be found in the Eastern Cape.

Scorers:

St Charles College 24 (17) – Tries: Joshua Barkhuizen (2), Dresden Coetzee, PJ Dlamini. Conversions: Guillaume Botha (2). Hoërskool Kempton Park 17 (7) – Tries: Ethan Botha, Matthew Vermaak, Aubrey Hoskin. Conversion: Aubrey Hoskin.

St John’s College (Harare) 22 (5) – Tries: Sean Takaindisa (2), Lee Chigumba, Sebastian Sarpo. Conversion: Sarpo. Clifton College 18 (13) – Tries: Izah Roux, Luke Pottow. Conversion: Jack Snaith. Penalties: Izah Roux (2).

Hartpury College II 55 (24) – Tries: Louie Thomas-Wade (2), Callum Letties (2), Harvey McNamara (2), Toby Johnson, Louie Stephens-Foster, Beau Wareham. Conversions: James Siberry (5). Mzwandile Mali XV 33 (12) – Tries: Bongolethu Mxoli (2), T.S. Dyster, Matthew Goliath, Onwabe Tanana. Conversions: Sibabalwe Gwinsta (4).

Scorers:

Hartpury College 47 (5) – Tries: Christian Gordon-Astbury (2), Alex Orehawa, Rakhat Clarkson, Luca Stickings, Felix Baker, Jardel Furness. Conversions: Cynyr MacRae (6). Garsfontein Invitational XV 18 (6) – Tries: Teagan Eckard, Tristan Wepener. Conversion: Katlego Lebelo. Penalties: Katlego Lebelo (2).

Northcliff 40 (17) – Tries: Ethan Leonette (2), Luke Bloomberg, Troy Kaminsky, Jonothan Haw, Jacques Fourie, Jordan Venter. Conversions: Jonothan Haw (3). Penalties: Haw (2). Hoërskool Windhoek 35 (15) – Tries: Carlos Florian, MC-Rein van Wyk, Xavier Bampton, William Beukes. Conversions: MC-Rein van Wyk (3). Penalties: Van Wyk (3).

St John’s College (Harare) 22 (5) – Tries: Sean Takaindisa (2), Lee Chigumba, Sebastian Sarpo. Conversion: Sarpo. Clifton College 18 (13) – Tries: Izah Roux, Luke Pottow. Conversion: Jack Snaith. Penalties: Izah Roux (2).

St Charles College 24 (17) – Tries: Joshua Barkhuizen (2), Dresden Coetzee, PJ Dlamini. Conversions: Guillaume Botha (2). Kempton Park 17 (7) – Tries: Ethan Botha, Matthew Vermaak, Aubrey Hoskin. Conversion: Aubrey Hoskin.

Hartpury College II 55 (24) – Tries: Louie Thomas-Wade (2), Callum Letties (2), Harvey McNamara (2), Toby Johnson, Louie Stephens-Foster, Beau Wareham. Conversions: James Siberry (5). Mzwandile Mali XV 33 (12) – Tries: Bongolethu Mxoli (2), T.S. Dyster, Matthew Goliath, Onwabe Tanana. Conversions: Sibabalwe Gwinsta (4).

Hoërskool Pietersburg 27 (7) – Tries: Juan Dreyer, Ludke Pienaar, Reghardt Els, Ryno Mienie. Conversions: Juan Randall (2). Penalty: Ryno Mienie. Hoërskool Middelburg 14 (7) – Tries: Dewald du Toit, Kgontse Masilela. Conversions: Kgontse Masilela (2).

Wynberg Boys’ High 28 (14) – Tries: Laeeq Davids, Rauf Ahmed, Ridhau Johnson, Zachary De Kock. Conversions: Luke Gertze (4). St Stithians College 12 (7) – Tries: Omolemo Lerefolo, Reece Hubner. Conversion: Caleb Sokolich.

On Thursday, the opening day of the Saints Easter Rugby Festival hosted by St Stithians College, Northcliff High defended valiantly to keep St Charles College scoreless at half-time with the score at 10-0.

In the second half, they continued to play with a level of physicality which sometimes overwhelmed the Pietermaritzburg locals; thus ending the match with an 18-7 victory.

St Charles put their points on the board midway through the second half. After taking a quick tap after being awarded a penalty in the Northcliff 22-metre area, they then played a couple of phases.

Having come off the bench, the fresh and fiery hooker Braydon Joese, picked up from the base of the ruck and drove his way over the line with two defenders clinging to him.

Only a few phases later, the most impressive try of the match occurred. The Randburg side regathered the ball from kickoff and played a few phases down the blindside, making a handful of metres on each carry.

An offload on the opposition’s five-metre line found its way to blindside flanker Ethan Leonette. Upon receiving the ball, he dived through the air to secure five points.

Flyhalf Reynard Burger set the tone just six minutes into Hoërskool Kempton Park’s 27-15 triumph over Hoërskool Pietersburg.

Standing just left of the posts and about 10 metres from the try-line when he received the ball, he then sold a dummy to his opposite man, followed by an electric zig-zag through two defenders in a space about the size of your average elevator. After falling over for five, he then added his own extras.

His peers, left wing Luca du Plooy and fullback Ethan Botha also scored their tries with some fancy footwork for two similar tries. Both scored in the first 11 minutes of the second half, and about five minutes apart.

Both received the ball out wide on the left and ran out wide before beating the last defender one-on-one to score. The only major differences between their tries were that Botha’s run was for about 45 metres and he beat the defender by cutting in, while Du Plooy ran about 35 metres and beat his man by cutting out.

Pietersburg fought hard with tries from locks Jan-Hendrik Bonneschans and Brent Vorster, however, it simply wasn’t their day against an on-song Kempies team.

Scorers:

Northcliff High 18 (10) – Tries: Dayne Van Wyk, Ethan Leonette. Conversion: Jack Woolard. Penalties: Jack Woolard, Jonothan Haw. St Charles College 7 (0) – Tries: Braydon Joese. Conversions: Njabulo Nala.

Kempton Park 27 (12) – Tries: Reynard Burger, Luca du Plooy, Ethan Botha, Aubrey Hoskin. Conversion: Reynard Burger (2). Penalty: Reynard Burger. Hoërskool Pietersburg 15 (8) – Tries: Jan-Hendrik Bonneschans, Brent Vorster. Conversion: Juan Randall. Penalty: Ryno Mienie.

St John’s College (Harare) played their hearts out to score a thrilling 24-21 victory over the hosts, St Stithians College, on Thursday, day one of the Saints Easter Rugby Festival.

The Lyme Park locals started with ferocious intensity. Their forwards provided scrumhalf Rory Bezuidenhout with quick ball, which he whipped out with haste from ruck after ruck, which enabled Saints to make metres with each carry.

That momentum eventually paid off when tighthead prop Larson Rujuwa muscled his way over the try line for the Saints‘ opening score from about five metres out.

However, the Zimbabwean outfit had no intentions of sitting idly by to receive further punishment. They slowly but surely clawed their way back into the game.

The turning point of the match came in the middle of the second half with the score at 10-7 in favour of the visitors.

Rams‘ outside centre Andile Ndlovu made a brilliant break from his own 10-metre line and hit the accelerator before passing out to hooker Sean Takaindisa, who made the dive for five in the left-hand corner.

From there, they did just enough to close out the contest and earn a hard-fought three-point win.

After a 7-7 first half, the Eastern Cape’s Mzwandile Mali XV outscored Clifton College 27-14 in the second half to claim a 34-21 victory.

The Durbanites scored first in the match through eighthman Liam Stocks. From a lineout inside the Mali XV’s 22, the ball was sent down the backline. Running a perfect line, as if he were a third centre, Stocks sliced through the defence and pinned the ball to the ground for his try.

Meanwhile, flyhalf Sibabalwe Gwinsta and fullback Marchellino Mars scored a try each for the Mali XV, and constantly troubled Clifton with their speed and agility.

While their flair and individual brilliance provided entertainment, it was the composite team’s cohesive and complete performance which ultimately earned them the win.

In a game between two foreign outfits, Hoërskool Windhoek mustered a 25-14 victory over the Hartpury College XV. 

Playing with confidence, the Namibians scored four tries to grab a deserved victory. A drop goal by flyhalf, MC-Rein van Wyk, was the icing on the cake in their win.

Scorers

Hoërskool Windhoek 25 (10) – Tries: Carlos Florian, Xavier Bampton, Kalipa Mbuende, Bradley Beukes. Conversions: MC-Rein van Wyk. Drop Goal: Van Wyk. Hartpury College XV 14 (7) – Tries: Will Bennett, Cameron Marshall. Conversions: James Siberry (2).

St John’s College (Harare) 24 (3) – Tries: Tafara Chirambanegomo, Sean Takaindisa, Jacob Viki. Conversions: Sebastian Sarpo (3). Penalty: Sarpo. St Stithians College 21 (7) – Tries: Larson Rujuwa, Andrew Casewell, Kenneth Thring. Conversions: Tino Mambure (3).

Mzwandile Mali XV 34 (14) – Tries: Bongolethu Mxoli, Marchellino Mars, Onwabe Tanana, Siphesihle Persent, Athabile Magada. Conversions: Sibabalwe Gwinsta (2), Marchellino Mars. Penalty: Sibabalwe Gwinsta. Clifton College 21 (14) – Tries: Liam Stocks, Trent Bam, Cole Nienhuser. Conversions: Jack Snaith (2), Izah Roux.

Scorers:

Hoërskool Windhoek 25 (10) – Tries: Carlos Florian, Xavier Bampton, Kalipa Mbuende, Bradley Beukes. Conversions: MC-Rein van Wyk. Drop Goal: Van Wyk. Hartpury College XV 14 (7) – Tries: Will Bennett, Cameron Marshall. Conversions: James Siberry (2).

St Stithians College 21 (7) – Tries: Larson Rujuwa, Andrew Casewell, Bryce Winstanley. Conversions: Caleb Sokolich (3). St John’s College (Harare) 24 (3) – Tries: T. Chirambanegomo, S. Takaindisa, J. Viki. Conversions: S. Sarpo (3). Penalty: S. Sarpo.

Mzwandile Mali XV 34 (14) – Tries: Bongolethu Mxoli, Marchellino Mars, Onwabe Tanana, Siphesihle Persent, Athabile Magada. Conversions: Sibabalwe Gwinsta (2), Marchellino Mars. Penalty: Sibabalwe Gwinsta. Clifton College 21 (14) – Tries: Liam Stocks, Trent Bam, Cole Nienhuser. Conversions: Jack Snaith (2), Izah Roux.

St Charles College 7 (0) – Tries: Braydon Joese. Conversions: Njabulo Nala. Northcliff High 18 (10) – Tries: Dayne Van Wyk, Ethan Leonette. Conversions: Jack Woolard. Penalties: Jack Woolard, Jonothan Haw.

Hoërskool Kempton Park 27 (12) – Tries: Reynard Burger, Luca du Plooy, Ethan Botha, Aubrey Hoskin. Conversion: Reynard Burger (2). Penalty: Reynard Burger. Hoërskool Pietersburg 15 (8) – Tries: Jan-Hendrik Bonneschans, Brent Vorster. Conversion: Juan Randall. Penalty: Ryno Mienie.

Hartpury College 14 (7) – Tries: Alex Orehawa, Christian Gordon-Astbury. Conversions: Ifan Williams, Jardel Furness. Hoërskool Middelburg 21 (7) – Tries: Melchior van Niekerk (2), Lihan de Vaal. Conversions: Kgontse Masilela, Jano Wilson (2).

Wynberg Boys’ High 84 (36) – Tries: Laeeq Davids (3), Cayleb Buys (3), Matthew Farah, Solam Gegena, Rauf Ahmed, Naeem Mohammed, CJ Kotze, Ithandile Nkohla, Ridhau Johnson, Matthew Anthony. Conversions: Luke Gertze (7). Hoërskool Garsfontein 0. 

On Wednesday, the fourth and final day of the 2026 Frans Malherbe u15 Festival, the hosts, Paarl Boys’ High, their arch-rivals Paarl Gimnasium, and their fellow Western Cape outfits Oakdale Landbou, Paul Roos Gimnasium, and Wynberg Boys’ High completed their schedules with unbeaten records.

Boishaai ended their campaign with a solid 36-12 over Kroonstad’s Hoërskool Trio.

Hoërskool Middelburg made it a close contest against Paul Roos on Saturday, and they again produced a ferocious effort against Paarl Gim. They went down, losing 10-19, but once again they impressed with their hard-nosed approach.

Xandru van Rensburg made it five tries in three games to help Gimmies take the win.

Paul Roos kept their record clean with a 29-5 victory over a Hoërskool Rustenburg outfit which had kept Gimmies on their toes when the festival began on Friday night.

Grey High earned a big win, blanking the Paarl locals, Boland Landbou, 38-0. Regular contributors Zachary Matthys and Joubert Bosch were again on the scoresheet, while Inam Williams bagged a brace of tries.

SACS outside centre Tylor Isaacs scored his second hat-trick in three games at the festival and converted all three tries in the Newlands school’s 21-0 victory over Worcester Gimnasium.

Isaacs has been tearing it up, crossing for 10 tries in his last five matches. He’s also tallied 26 points with the boot for a total of 76 at 15.2 points per game.

After a tough loss in their second match to Grey High, Stellenberg High roared back with a 57-0 drubbing of Hoërskool Robertson. Flyhalf Daniel de Bruyn led the way with 20 points, which came via two tries and five conversions.

In one of the tightest matches of the day, Hoërskool Waterkloof won an arm-wrestle against Hoërskool Diamantveld by a narrow 7-0 margin.

Results | Day 4

HTS Drostdy 59, Nico Malan High 7; Hoërskool Wesvalia 19, Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr 10; Hoërskool Strand 7, Hoërskool Swartland 3; SACS 21, Worcester Gimnasium 0; HTS Daniel Pienaar 24, Hoërskool Punt 7; Grey High 38, Boland Landbou 0; Hoërskool Waterkloof 7, Hoërskool Diamantveld 0; Stellenberg High 57, Hoërskool Robertson 0; Paul Roos Gimnasium 29, Hoërskool Rustenburg 5; Paarl Boys’ High 36, Hoërskool Trio 12; Oakdale Landbou 55, Hoërskool Menlopark 0; Wynberg Boys’ High 35, Hoërskool Durbanville 21; Paarl Gimnasium 19, Hoërskool Middelburg 10.

The 2026 Saints Easter Rugby Festival hosts 16 teams and features 19 fixtures across three days of play: Thursday, 2 April; Saturday, 4 April; and Monday, 6 April.

There are plenty of tantalising clashes on the fixture list, including St Stithians against St John’s College from Harare on the opening day.

A humdinger is lined up to end the day’s action with Hoërskool Garsfontein – fresh off a win over Paarl Boys’ High and another over Stellenberg High, the conquerors of Grey College and Paarl Gimnasium – taking on Wynberg Boys’ High.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

Day two will once again see Garsies tested; this time by Hartpury College from Gloucestershire, England. Recent graduates of the school include England prop Ellis Genge and Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit.

Straight after that clash, Hoërskool Pietersburg tackles Hoërskool Middelburg in a clash featuring one of Limpopo’s best against one of Mpumalanga’s leading lights.

On Monday, day three, expect all-out running rugby when international visitors, Windhoek High go up against the Mzwandile Mali XV.

Saints will also wrap up their fixtures with a tester against the talent-laden Wynberg Boys’ High outfit.

FIXTURES

Day 1 – Thursday, 2 April

09:00 – Hartpury College XV vs Windhoek High
10:00 – St Stithians College vs St John’s College (Harare)
11:00 – Mzwandile Mali XV vs Clifton College
12:00 – St Charles College vs Northcliff High
13:00 – Hoërskool Kempton Park vs Hoërskool Pietersburg
14:00 – Hartpury College vs Hoërskool Middelburg
15:00 – Hoërskool Garsfontein vs Wynberg Boys’ High

Day 2 – Saturday, 4 April

09:00 – Hartpury College XV vs Mzwandile Mali XV
10:00 – St Charles College vs Hoërskool Kempton Park
11:00 – St John’s College (Harare) vs Clifton College
12:00 – Windhoek High vs Northcliff High
13:00 – Hartpury College vs Hoërskool Garsfontein
14:00 – Hoërskool Pietersburg vs Hoërskool Middelburg

Day 3 – Monday, 6 April

09:00 – St Stithians College vs Wynberg Boys’ High
10:00 – Try Tournament u18 vs Northcliff High XV
11:00 – Windhoek High vs Mzwandile Mali XV
12:00 – Northcliff High vs Hartpury College
13:00 – Hoërskool Garsfontein vs Hoërskool Kempton Park
14:00 – Hoërskool Pietersburg vs St John’s College (Harare)

Day three of the Frans Malherbe u15 Festival, Monday, started with a cracking performance from Grey High against Stellenberg High.

With some of their key playmakers out injured, Stellies struggled to convert their opportunities into points.

On the other hand, the Gqeberha locals were clinical. After a loss in a tight contest against Paarl Boys’ High on Friday night, they proved that the tournament hosts hadn’t delivered a sub-standard performance. Rather, they showed that Grey High boasts a formidable outfit.

They outplayed Stellenberg, winning 38-7 and running in five tries to one. Joubert Bosch, Ben Kennedy, Zach Matthys, and Caleb Makoba all crossed for five-pointers, and Ethan Houlie was denied a try by a high tackle. However, that led to the referee awarding a penalty try.

Paul Roos Gimnasium was one of two teams to tally 50 points on the day. They produced a mighty performance to topple Die Hoërskool Menlopark 52-5.

Paarl Gimnasium was the other side to better 50 points, racking up 59 while holding Hoërskool Wesvalia to only five in reply.

The Klerksdorp outfit was overwhelmed by a near-perfect performance from Gimmies. Just as he had done on Friday night, Xandru van Rensburg dotted down twice for Gim, while Alano Engelbrecht also bagged himself a brace.

At flyhalf, Daniel Jackson caught the eye, making several line-breaks, one of which brought him a try. He also added seven conversions from the kicking tee.

Oakdale Landbou earned another comfortable victory, downing SACS 32-7. Their win was built upon their superiority in the set pieces, which meant they bossed the possession stakes.

Boishaai tackled Hoërskool Waterkloof in the final match of the day. In a tight contest, the hosts overcame their Pretoria challengers 27-19.

Results | Day 3

Grey High 38, Stellenberg High 7; Hoërskool Strand 35, Hoërskool Robertson 28; Oakdale Landbou 32, SACS 7; HTS Daniel Pienaar 24, Worcester Gimnasium 21; Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr 29, Hoërskool Punt 8; HTS Drostdy 43, Boland Landbou 17; Hoërskool Rustenburg 45, Hoërskool Swartland 7; Hoërskool Durbanville 24, Hoërskool Diamantveld 5; Wynberg Boys’ High 28, Hoërskool Middelburg 21; Paarl Gimnasium 59, Hoërskool Wesvalia 5; Nico Malan High 21, Hoërskool Trio 20; Paarl Boys’ High 27, Hoërskool Waterkloof 19.

There were wins for the hosts, Paarl Boys’ High, and their rivals, Paarl Gimnasium, on Friday night, the opening day of the Frans Malherbe u15 Festival.

Boishaai battled their way to a 20-12 win over Grey High in a contest in which both sides scored two tries apiece.

Their match was preceded by Gimmies‘ 31-19 victory over Hoërskool Rustenburg.

Catch the action live on SuperSportSchools (supersportschools.com).

Brugstraat B hosted three matches on Saturday, while Brugstraat A served as the battleground for eight clashes.

Oakdale Landbou delivered an entertaining show, running in ten tries in their 62-3 domination of Hoërskool Swartland. Hooker Jacobus Theunissen was at the heart of the Farmers’ set-piece dominance, scoring two tries from the maul on his 15th birthday.

SACS flyhalf Tylor Isaacs was also in top form. He crossed for a hat-trick of tries and converted four of the five tries scored by the Newlands outfit in a 33-17 win over Hoërskool Robertson.

Stellenberg High was stretched by Hoërskool Wesvalia and trailed late in the contest. Showing composure, though, they patiently kept up the pressure through phase after phase before dotting down in the dying moments of the match to snatch a 21-20 win.

Resilience was a key factor in Hoërskool Diamantveld‘s 7-3 win over Boland Landbou. The Kimberley school finished the match on their own try line, keeping the Paarl side at bay to seal a narrow victory.

Paul Roos Gimnasium was forced to work hard for a 21-12 victory over Hoërskool Middelburg. In a tightly-contested clash, the Stellenbosch team’s backs locked in the win with some moments of individual brilliance.

Results | Day 1

Paarl Boys’ High 20, Grey High School 12; Paul Roos Gimnasium 21, Hoërskool Middelburg 12; Paarl Gimnasium 31, Hoërskool Rustenburg 19; Stellenberg 21, Wesvalia 20; Waterkloof 17, HTS Drostdy 14; Hoërskool Durbanville 31, Charlie Hofmeyr 12; Worcester Gimnasium 12, Hoërskool Punt 10; SACS 33, Hoërskool Robertson 17; Wynberg Boys’ High 22, HTS Daniël Pienaar 5; Oakdale Landbou 62, Swartland 3; Hoërskool Trio 27, Menlopark 10; Nico Malan 58, Strand 5; Diamantveld 7, Boland Landbou 3.

Scorers:

Paarl Gimnasium 31 (5) – Tries: Xandru van Rensburg (2), Caleb Welsh, Tony Milner, Lian Potgieter. Conversions: Daniel Jackson (3); Hoërskool Rustenberg 19 (7) – Tries: Xavier Jordan van Wyk, George Daniel Bester, Henco Botha. Conversions: Wiaan van Aswagen (2).

Paarl Boys’ High 20 (10) – Tries: N/A. Conversions: Nichol Niemann (2). Penalties: Nichol Niemann (2); Grey High 12 (5) – Tries: N/A. Conversion: N/A.